Phiya Kushi's Blog: Musings on life and macrobiotics

My Public Life – Living And Creating Community – “Macrobiotics 2.0″

August 25, 2010

The extent to which I am comfortable publicly sharing my life sometimes surprises even me. It is how I was raised, not just because I grew up in a “glass house” with thousands of other people, but also because everything our family did was different and was thought of as an opportunity to share something new to the world – all in the name of creating world peace. The lines between individual, family and community didn’t exist. At times, I forget that people don’t normally live like that and am reminded by the fear, suspicion, jealousy, resentment of others that they carry around inside themselves. That’s when I am surprised at myself because I don’t normally carry those fears in me. Furthermore, in order to cope with those fears people distract themselves in so many abusive ways that then lead to sickness and so many other problems. So, not only am I grateful of the open communal living I experienced but also of the macrobiotic values in our home. Because of this I mostly live openly without fear and have been healthy all my life. I wish everyone could experience community together with macrobiotics and have the expressive freedom and health that I enjoy.

I was happy to discover that people living in the Ionia Macrobiotic Community are like me. When I visited there it felt very much like home and the way I grew up. I gained a much greater respect for my youth and the community living that I experienced. It is clear to me now that macrobiotic living is best done in a community. It not only helps to sustain the healthy lifestyle but creates the environment and support structure that allows it to flourish and develop.

Without a supportive community I have seen too many individuals and families slowly compromise their macrobiotic practices and often give up and revert back to the world they came from. The problem isn’t because they don’t understand macrobiotics well enough. They are like seeds thrown onto the earth randomly – some fail to grow while others take root and grow into healthy plants. It isn’t because some seeds are more knowledgeable than others. No, the difference is that they are in an environment that supports their growth.

Practicing macrobiotics without a nurturing and supportive community is the same thing. An isolated person or family doesn’t have the proper support system to grow and flourish. They may be able to successfully practice macrobiotics themselves for the rest of their lives, but to flourish and develop beyond that requires the support of a community. In other words, if we are to be serious about living and flourishing macrobiotically then we must also create the community that supports it at the same time. They go hand in hand. This is “Macrobiotic 2.0″

…and I suspect that in order for macrobiotic communities to grow and flourish we will have to create One Peaceful World.

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Phiya I lived in an Ashram for 6 months outside New York, lived out of a suitcase for 15 years with a fire inside me that wanted to find out who I was and how to keep this body going of mine. how I survived now I often wonder, worked in a convent in Oxford England, washing the dishes, would go anywhere I could learn, living with a lot of people as I did in the Kushi House too, is not easy, like chickens there is always a pecking order, maybe being English we are very proud and stiff necked, I really don;t know when we people will be able to live in peace together, wish it could be so, but after 2 marriages, am very happy living by myself with no one telling me or advising me as to what to do or think, and I get to thinking that white wall is black, your family gave up so much and have showed the way,I like my oasis, and am very much at peace. bless you but give it a rest, give that mind of yours a rest and give us a rest, slowly slowly love you Phiya.

I agree that community is crucial. When I started macrobiotics one and one half years ago, following the macro cruise, I returned home to the Washington DC area and found there was not a macro community here. After trying to have potlucks with low attendance and attending a few cooking classes in DC with Juliette Tahar, I decided to enroll in Denny Waxman’s SHI year long class. It was here that I bonded with a group of like minded people who have supported me for many months and even come here to attend some potlucks. We meet at my home and experiment with macro food, do shiatsu, doin, reiki, walks and have talks about the order of the universe. So I have found my community with others who do not even reside near me but are there to share my macro journey whenever I need them and now feel like family. In addition, through the online macro community, I now have people to “talk” to in Israel, Illinois, Texas, and Pennsylvania.Just like we sometimes do not resonate with the families we are born into and form “families” of our own choosing from the friends we meet in life, I have chosen my own macro family and it works even if they live far away.

Our nature is social, to live isolated is not the healthiest choice, it can be done but it ignores a heavy goal of our human nature, to be able to develop all our social skills as individuals inside and outside a group. The group make us stronger, we feel supported and we have the courage to stand by the vision that is common between everyone and it is always giving us reasons to strive for excellence.

To visit other groups enrichen everyone because different views are shared and who can say that is not always learning anything, even when we may not agree with their general lines, it may can have something that will enlighten us and help us to wake up.

Just other point, to be different in a family, group, community, it is hard, unless it is for health reasons that everyone will accept, that you don´t behave like the others it is like a red flag for them, hmmmm, and all those fears you talk about begin to appear and much more stuff, not an easy situation,….